How to avoid inflammation this St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday that’s known for things like friendly toasts and people wearing green. However, this holiday may not be so friendly for your lungs if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In fact, you’re in danger of having your lung inflammation flare up because of the types of food and drink that are synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. Luckily, there are some tips you can follow that may help reduce your chances of an increase in your inflammation.

Two tips for avoiding inflammation flare-ups this St. Patrick’s Day

COPD is a progressive lung condition that may have symptoms such as excessive mucus production, lung tissue inflammation and shortness of breath. While St. Patrick’s Day can still be fun for you even if you have COPD, there are two tips you should consider before you celebrate this holiday.

Limit your carb intake

The first tip you should consider is you’ll need to be careful about what you eat and drink. St. Patrick’s Day, in the U.S. at least, is one of the biggest alcohol consumption days of the year. However, alcohol may cause issues for COPD patients because it has a high carb content. Since carbs are known to increase your body’s inflammation, you should consider limiting yourself to only two or three drinks. St. Patrick’s Day is also associated with high-carb food offerings. For example, many establishments serve corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, and traditional Irish breads on this holiday. If you have COPD, you should do your best to limit your carb intake. For instance, you may be able to order just the corned beef and cabbage and skip the potatoes.

Listen to your body

A second tip you should consider that may help you avoid inflammation increases on this holiday is don’t overdo it. St. Patrick’s Day is a time for hanging out with friends for many people, and this can lead to a day of hopping from one party or bar to the next. All this moving around can be very stressful for COPD patients, so you should make sure you listen to your body and take a break if you’re feeling tired. By following these two tips, you can still have fun with your friends on St. Patrick’s Day without exacerbating your other COPD symptoms.

The Lung Health Institute can help you find ways to reduce inflammation

At the Lung Health Institute, we know reducing lung tissue inflammation is an important goal for patients with COPD and other chronic lung diseases. That’s why we offer several types of treatment that may help you reduce your inflammation. For instance, we offer three Anti-Inflammatory Initiative™ plans that may help you boost your immune system and train your body to use fats as inflammation-fighting fuel. We also offer cellular therapy, which uses your body’s own cells in ways that may reduce inflammation and promote lung tissue healing. Are you ready to find out more about all the ways the Lung Health Institute can help you fight inflammation and other COPD symptoms? Contact one of our patient coordinators today for more information or to schedule an initial consultation.

Vaping has been hailed as a safer alternative to smoking. Recent medical studies show that vaping actually increases a person’s risk of emphysema.

SPEAK TO OUR TEAM TODAY

Find out if you qualify for our lung treatments.

Every day the Lung Health Institute is changing people’s lives. Our duty and obligation is to help our patients, and we know we are doing something special for them. We measure our success by our patients’ success and their satisfaction with our services and the care they receive from our dedicated staff.

N

Over 96.2% Patient Satisfaction*

Based on patient surveys following treatment.

N

91.6% Positive Patient Outcomes*

Based on patient surveys, 91.6% of patients report a positive outcome at 3 months.

N

5900+ Patients Treated

Since its inception, Lung Health Institute has treated 5,900 patients.